The Road Taken
by Noirence
Summary: As ordinary as she is. Tsuno Nara is going to make the best of her life as a shinobi. If that means getting almost getting killed a couple of times... So be it. OC, Self-Insert, Maybe Pairings. Inspired by Dreaming of Sunshine by Silver Queen. *Looking for a Beta Reader! PM me, please!*
1. Prologue

" _Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,_

 _And sorry I could not travel both_

 _And be one traveler, long I stood_

 _And looked down one as far as I could"_

 ** _-Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken_**

* * *

 **Prologue**

"Lord Hokage, I request permission to take a short leave from Konohagakure"

The Sandaime momentarily glanced up from his paperwork to lay his eyes on the Konohagakure Jōnin Commander.

"May I ask why?"

The Nara's face tightened. The Sandamine pretended not to notice how hard the man clenched his fist.

He dipped his brush back into his inkwell.

The young Nara Clan Head is a known sluggard but to take a break a soon after the Kyuubi attack was hardly reasonable. He was a father with a child and a wife in a village low on shinobi forces, the question why Shikaku was so urgent to leave probed the Hokage's curiosity.

"...I received intel from the border patrols. My younger brother, Shikaden, was found dead in his home in the Land of Hot Springs."

The Sandamine stopped mid-stroke, carefully laying down the brush to analyze the new information.

Shikaden Nara.

Younger brother to Shikaku Nara by fours years. Graduated the academy ranking in the middle of his class. Served eight years on active duty as a medic-nin. Left Konoha two years ago to study medical ninjutsu.

The last time that the Sandaime has heard from the Shikaden was that he settled down in the Land of Hot Springs with a civilian wife.

"I see. I'm sorry for your loss." The Hokage chewed on his pipe, "Are you retrieving his body?"

It wasn't unusual for a major clan to retrieve the body of a clan member living outside of Konoha. A foreign shinobi can discover clan secrets through the corpse of a dead member.

Clans like the Hyuga, Uchiha and even the extinct Uzumaki, take the matter of disposing of the body of a clan member very seriously. Even the lax Nara clan will not allow foreigners to collect the bodies of their beloved clan members.

"Yes, we would like to give my brother and his wife a proper burial. However…" Shikaku's face softened.

The Hokage waited.

"It has come to my attention that my brother has a child."

"Oh? How old?"

"No older than Shikamaru, I was informed that the infant born only two weeks ago."

The Hokage chewed on his pipe, "The infant was spared?"

"She was not present at the home during the attack. In fact, the child was adopted. She was still in the orphanage's care.

"So you want to bring the child back to Konohagakure."

Shikaku nodded.

"I'm assuming she will be a part of the Nara clan as well."

"Any child of my brother's is mine as well."

"Even if she is not by blood?"

"She is a child born from his heart. Blood or not she is a child of the Nara. The Nara Clan will protect her if he could not."

Hokage inhaled deeply. He paused going over the information in silence.

"Very well, prepare the documents when you return."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage. I shall take my leave", the Nara said turning towards the door.

"Shikaku."

The Nara stopped.

"What is the name of this infant child?"

Shikaku let out a faint chuckle, "Tsuno. Tsuno of the Nara Clan"

* * *

The world was like a kaleidoscope. Blurry shapes and smothering voices.

It was warm.

"Tsuno. Her name is Tsuno."

Tsuno? Who's Tsuno?

"Madam! You can't! You can't leave! Your body is still-"

Leave? Where are you going?

"I love you."

The warmth was gone.

I screamed.

The notion of time was incoherent. Day and night merely faded into dreams and loud wails for help. There were always shapes gravitating around me. Shades of light and darkness dancing in cohesion. I was lifted, carried and fed repetitively. Sometimes shapes will hold me for a long time. Tickling my stomach until I burst into giggles and tears.

But not all the shapes responded.

Some shapes don't answer. My wails drowned and faded into the bustling background. No one came. I didn't want to cry. But I couldn't move. I couldn't see. I was scared. I cried for help as it was my only defense.

"Crying won't solve your problems, kid."

The voice was stern but kind. I instinctively stopped my wails and waved my grubby hands into the air, reaching for the source of the voice.

"Darling! She likes you!"

There was a grumble.

"Go pick her up!"

"How troublesome."

A warmth surrounded my body. The hands were rough and ever so gentle. The shapes got closer and I wiggle trying to distinguish the shapes in front of me. A man?

He froze. Hesitant. Slowly wrapping his arms around me.

I giggled. It was warm.

"So you're Tsuno."

Light airy laughter filled the room. They carried me, fed me, and patted my back. Change me so I didn't roll around in my own filth.

"We'll take you home soon, Tsun."

I giggled in glee.

As dreams came and past so did the days. Hushed voices surrounded my crib as if they were trying to keep a secret.

"-disappeared into thin air"

"-loved her like their own child"

"-were good people."

"How unfortunate"

Voices came and went like the nights and dreams.

"Sorry for the wait."

It was similar. A rough gentle voice.

"I'm taking you home."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I've been thinking about this story for a while. While I'm inspired by the wonderful work of Dreaming of Sunshine by Silver Queen, Tsuno deserves to have her own story, even if she's never going to be cool as Shikako.


	2. Chapter 1: Childhood Arc

"We should not be asking who this child belongs to, but who belongs to this child. "

- _James L. Gritter_

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

My earliest memory was staring at my mother and my father set up the table for breakfast. Mum was cutting green onions and Dad did his best to wrangle a shogi piece away from a teething Shika.

"Now, now, Shikamaru. Hold still."

Shikamaru is my brother.

A chubby face toddler with squinty brown eyes who is profusely chewing a tile and refusing to let go. Dad had his fingers on the half of the tile sticking out of Shika's mouth, preventing him from swallowing the piece whole. I sat across from Shika, stacking the leftover tiles in some sort of mischief tower. I intently watch the tower tip over after a gentle gust pass through the open window. The pieces clacked loudly shattering against the tatami mat. One by one I stacked the tiles again with the motivation to build a taller tower.

Life was very comfortable. Peaceful.

Mum finally set the soup on the table filling the room with the savory aroma of miso. She gracefully pulled the utensils out of the cabinet with chakra strings and neatly placed them beside our respective bowls.

Mum's fluid use of chakra strings always captivated my attention. The movement was so extraordinary but mundane. The slight flick of her wrist had caused the silverware to fly across the room and attach themselves to the palm of her hand. She often did this when she was multitasking. Her chakra strings assist her with homely tasks, from cleaning to holding a boiling pot of water in place when Shika and I were in the kitchen. I can only assume she often used this skill when she was an active shinobi.

It's hard to say why I often felt so bewildered by the use of chakra. Maybe it's because everything is new and exciting as a toddler. Maybe, it's a strange feeling that I knew this world before I actually experience it.

I often have these feelings when I see Dad. There is the feeling of angst when I traced my fingers across the long scars that marred his face. Or, the guilt and fear that pools in the pit of my stomach every day when I wave him goodbye.

Mum says Dad is a strong shinobi and I shouldn't be worried.

But I can't help but cling on the fabric of his pants every morning he leaves for work.

Dad just chuckles and kisses my forehead.

"See you later, Tsu."

After breakfast, Mum often runs clan errands for Dad, she was the wife of the Clan Head after all. She tends to leave Shika and I, in our room for an afternoon nap. This is the favorite part of the day for Shika, who's more often than not, knocked out as soon as he closes his eyes. I didn't like the feeling of sleeping after a full meal. So, I spent the majority of this time of the day waiting for Shika to wake up or pulling books from the shelf. Dad kept a lot of medicinal books there, all of them were reference books you can buy at any Konoha bookstore though; nothing revolutionary. Of course, I can't be sure since I only look at the pictures but I doubt Dad would leave important documents out in the open.

The anatomy book, in particular, was my favorite. _Just because it contained the most pictures._ The book expanded on the study of human body covering everything from neurology to chakra production. I can't say how many times I looked at chakra production chapter to get a better grasp of the concept. Everyone can produce chakra it's just the amount they can is different. People who become ninjas usually have a high capacity for chakra, while civilians produce little to nothing. This is interesting since I was born in a family of ninjas, I can always feel chakra running through my body, but to exert it externally was another story. The first time I tried exerting chakra, I stupendously blew up an inkpot.

Let me tell you that story.

It was during one of those days that Mum left us alone with our own shenanigans. I was on my knees tracing a diagram of the human skeletal system when I ran out of ink. Brilliantly, I decided it was too much work to stand up and grab the spare inkpot from the shelf. _And it was a much better idea to test out chakra strings._

I ended up being covered head to toe with black ink and utterly startled by the unexpected explosion. Not to say the least my hand-drawn diagram was blacked out completely,

Shika even woke up, assessing the damage and giving me his famous deadpan eyes. Unlike me, he had a few splotches of ink on his face but otherwise completely out the radius of the explosion.

"Did you seriously blow up an inkpot?"

I laughed nervously and nodded my head.

He stared at me, eyes wandering head to toe, questioning if I was worth the trouble.

"Are you okay?" he finally asked.

I quickly inspected my limbs, "I think so? I don't think any of the glass shards cut me? Mum is going to have a fit when she sees what happened to my clothes."

Shika gave an indifferent huff slowly getting up. "Let's get you cleaned up then. I'll go get the mop, go get changed." He grabbed a tissue to wipe his face and faintly muttering how troublesome I was. Throwing my pants and mesh top in the laundry bin, I grabbed Shika's old t-shirt and quickly covered myself.

Shika came back handing me a broom. "Go sweep up the glass, I'll start mopping."

It didn't long for us to finish cleaning the room. But we needed to hide the evidence. We both looked at each other, unsure of how to properly get a stain out of my pants. We might have been smart but we were completely clueless in the Art of Housekeeping. We decided to visit Daen-oji who scowled at us when he opened the bag of dirty laundry. "Look, kid, when did you think I became your caretaker?"

Daen is like our Oji-san, who's around the same age as Dad, but Oji nonetheless. A Nara who manage to reach jōnin rank and stay active, which is pretty impressive considering how many of us opt for early retirement. He didn't exactly look too happy with us bothering him on his rare day off, especially to do laundry.

"Please…" I begged, widening my eyes to appear like a baby fawn as possible. "Mum is going to yell at us if she finds out."

"She'll yell at you not me."

"You're not helping Shika." I frowned, shooting his an exasperated glare if he's going to help me at least help me all the way.

"How did you manage to blow up the inkpot." Daen-oji questioned, "You two better not have been doing anything dangerous." _Aw shoot._

Shika looked for me to answer. _This is your mess you explain it._

"Uh." I rubbed my shirt, I did not do well with confrontation. " ... I was testing out my chakra like you know how Mum sticks leaves to the window? So she can dry them out before crushing it to ointment? I was trying to stick the inkpot to my hand."

"You didn't think that starting out with leaves or small pieces of paper was a better idea?"

I stared at the ground in embarrassment, I didn't know what to say. I knew it was a bad idea but It also made perfect sense to me at that time. "I-"

"You're an idiot," Shika interjected blandly.

"Hey!"

Daen-oji did end up taking my dirty clothes after scolding me for not practicing proper chakra control first. He muttered a few words about being a part-time nanny for a few brats but threw us standard academy chakra control manual before we left. I spent the next few days reading and studying chakra control after that incident. I also mysteriously found the once stained clothes at the foot of my bed one morning.

I came to understand that I had a lot more chakra compared to Shika. Of course, this conclusion came from trial and error after forcing Shika to participate in my little experiments. Shika wasn't happy with me taking away his precious nap time but assisted me anyways. I figured he thought he can minimize the damage I'll cause along the way.

After many trials, I found it particularly interesting when the volume or weight of the object increased. Shika, who apparently had better chakra control can gracefully stick small pieces of paper to his forehead. In contrast, I can stick larger, more-dense, objects on my body like a magnet, but when it came to channeling chakra in smaller objects that needed more precise control; I failed miserably. Similar to my first trial, whatever I infused with too much chakra exploded. Shika and I often ended up with tiny shards of paper sticking to our clothes at the end of my experiments.

When I got good enough, my tendency for accidental explosions didn't stop me from sticking books to the middle of my back when I didn't have enough arm space to carry it.

"You work smarter, not harder," I said shooting Shika a grin.

He snorted in response.

Dad who witnessed our growth in chakra manipulation didn't react much but did send me to deliver a bento and a scroll to Daen-oji. I think he knows.

Chakra practice allowed me to alleviate the anxiety I got from the constant déjà vu. But it was after my fourth birthday I started getting lucid dreams. I sat up in the middle of the night breaking into a cold sweat.

"Shi-ka! Shika!" I called hastily, shaking him gently.

He squinted at me with annoyance.

"What do ya want?" He said drowsily.

"Is your name Nara Shika-maru?"

Shika rubbed his eyes gave me a funny look. "What kind of question is that?"

"Your hair is like a pineapple."

"What?!"

"Nothing."

Shika frowned and rolled over in his futon.

I allowed myself to lie back down and pulled the covers close. Shika had appeared in my dream, but it could have been Dad. He had one piercing on each ear with a frown splashed across his face. It was as if he was judging me for invading an intimate moment in his life.

 _Who are you?_

There were other people in my dream. The most prominent figures were the men with red eyes.

 _Red eyes. Red sky._

A boy with sunny hair.

 _The sun._

People wearing masks. Different mask, but all the same; obstructing their faces.

 _Hidden._

Most of all. Blood. The smell that had my heart pounding in fear.

 _Bodies._

I shuddered at the revelation. But all of that was not important, it didn't matter if it looked like there was going to be a war upon Konoha, the presence of Shika worried me. Shika was there and he was looked tired. Even more tired than when Mum drags us outside at the crack of dawn for our morning workout. He looked hallow and depraved.

I bit my lower lip worried and rolled over until I was against Shika's back. I lightly grabbed his shirt and dug my face into his back.

"Hmmm… What's wrong?"

"Shh… Go to sleep."

At breakfast, I stared at Shika messily cracking an egg over his rice. He didn't question what happened last night.

"You been staring at me all morning. Is there something on my face."

"... No, but it's interesting how your hair defies gravity like a pineapple."

He had a crossed reaction as if he was worried for nothing.

Later, Dad asked Mum why was Shika interested in an exotic fruit from the Land of the Wind.

* * *

It wasn't until Dad invited us to his colleague's son fifth birthday, I was officially introduced to Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Choji. It was a little strange that I didn't meet them earlier considering that Yamanaka and Akimichi are known to be close friends with the Nara Clan. Shika and I did meet Choji before during a cloud watching trip, but none of us knew who was Ino.

It was Choji's first birthday party and the Akimichi Clan outdid themselves by closing down three family restaurants to host all the guest. They had invited all the major clans in Konoha, including the extended families of the Nara and Yamanaka Clan. It is was the party to officially introduce their clan heir.

Mum decided she wasn't going to sit back and let the Nara Clan be outdone by the extravagance of the party and took it upon herself to wake us up at the crack of dawn.

"You two better be up when I count to three!"

Shika groaned at our mum's voice and pulled the blankets closer, leaving me in the cold. Chilled by the morning breeze, I tug the blanket away from him in an effort to protected my exposed limbs. This ended up in an unconscious tug-o-war with the two of us having a truce when we snuggled against each other to brace ourselves for Mom's displeasure. Her loud voice drowned into the ambient sounds of daylight as we continued our slumber. I curled my body into Shika arms, tangling our legs, and tucked my cheek into the crook of his neck. Shika who didn't mind the extra weight, embrace the bodily warmth I offered.

Our tranquil peace lasted a mere minutes before Mom's angry footsteps slammed open our bedroom door and rudely pulled away our blanket. We huddle closer to greet the morning cold.

"Aww, aren't you two adorable. Taking after your Dad already" A faint snort echoed from the background.

Nonetheless, Mum's voice was nonexistent in our quest to sleep, which further aggravated her. With one swift movement, she grabbed my collar and Shika by the ear and separated us. She threw Shika to Dad who was watching by the door and tossed me into her room. Shika yelped in pain and surprise immediately glared at Mum for her invasive wake up call.

"Your Dad will help you get ready, Shikamaru. And you!" Mum said pointing at Dad, "If I catch this father-son duo trying to sneak in a nap, I promise that your cigarettes and alcohol is gone for the rest of this month!"

Dad rubbed the back of his head nervously. It was interesting that he can scare the most dangerous enemy-nin with his presence, but when it comes to Mum he can hardly say a word.

"Come on, Shikamaru, Let's get you dressed." Dad sighed pulling Shika into his study.

I sat on the floor rubbing my head after being brazenly tossed like a ragged doll. Mum promptly zoned her attention to me after and once again grabbed me by the collar and put me on a high chair facing her dresser. I felt like I was a naughty kitten being disciplined by the mother feline.

She grabbed a section of my hair and began combing out. "Tsuno, you should take better care of your hair!" Mum exclaimed as she encountered the wad of tangles on my bed head.

I sleepily nodded and took a brush and began combing the opposite end of my unruly hair. I never really cared much about my hair. Mum constantly lectures me about personal appearance, dragging me off to beauty salons every few months to tame my raven locks. Mum loved doing my hair but I simply adopted the traditional ponytail out of convenience. Other occasions where I was too lazy to tie my hair, I left it down. Long hair was never a problem, I never grew it past my shoulders. It's too troublesome to care for long hair.

As I slowly woke up from my lethargic slumber, my lilac eyes caught the twin buns that adorn my head. Wisps of bangs were curled and Mum proudly stuck in traditional hairpins that were ornamented with flowers.

I frowned.

"Aww, stop pouting, Tsuno, I know you don't particularly like dressing up but it's a special occasion." Mum hummed, "Hold still, we still need to do your makeup."

I continued to stare at the mirror and closed my eyes in resignation, ready to accept my fate.

Mum began by patting powder on to my face. She must have had brought the makeup just for me considering I didn't exactly have olive skin like most Nara. My skin was paler in comparison. It would burn easily in the sun if I was not careful. I regularly walked around Konoha with a big umbrella to shelter myself from the blazing sun.

A while later, my behind began cramped from sitting on the wooden stool. I fiddled my fingers to distract myself as I got uncomfortable with sitting upright for so long. Mum seriously took her time painting my face.

"We're done!" Mum cheered, brushing the top of my cheeks with a bit of rouge.

I opened my eyes and as I feared, I looked every bit like an overdone doll. It didn't help that my face was rounder than Shika's with puffy cheeks and wide eyes.

"Remember to not touch your face today, you'll smudge your makeup," Mum said walking to the closet.

I grumbled irritability. _Everything was going to be swell._

Mum came back with a neatly folded red kimono and a lavender obi. The kimono was decorated with extravagant white flowers laced with gold trimmings. It was beautiful ... _if it was not for me to wear_.

"I know red is a bold color for this occasion but we got to make you stand out! You represent the Nara and I'm sure the Uchiha and Hyuga will be equally extravagant." I ungrudgingly held up my arms to allow Mum to tie the cloth. I grunted as Mum tighten the obi around my waist. Today was going to be a horrible day, I can already tell. I can hardly walk, run, or even bend over. My job was to look pretty, stay polite and hopefully make friends.

I found it completely troublesome.

After having my soul squeezed out of my body, I waddled into the common area. Dad and Shika greeted me as they lounged around the shogi table. Both of them were dressed up in their formal attire. While Dad was dressed up in a grey kimono, Shika's was dark green.

"You look beautiful, Tsu." Dad smiled, "I guess the days I'm chasing off suitors will come sooner than I thought."

I rolled my eyes and joined them in their game of shogi. I realized it was impossible to cross my legs in any normal fashion and ended up sitting on my knees. It wasn't too long after that Mum appeared. Thank the lord, because Dad was utterly crushing us, even with Shika and I tag-teaming. The game is over in ten-or-so turns.

"Is this color too young on me?" Mum asked self-consciously, brushing her fingers along the fabric of her powder pink kimono. "Maybe, I should change-"

"You look beautiful, Darling." Dad disagreed, placing a kiss on her cheek as a rare sign of affection.

We left the house without breakfast since the Akimichi will never let their guest starve. We arrived at the Akimichi Compound a quarter to eight and left our gift at the check-in. Mum had taken us shopping the weekend prior. Shika and I, each got to pick out a gift for Choji. Shika had headed straight to the chips and grabbed three extra large bags. I headed towards the candy aisle and grabbed an assortment of chocolate and hard candy. When Mum saw us arriving at checkout, she was impassive about our decision but gave us a nod of satisfaction.

"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." I winked.

"We're not that easy," Shika complained.

"Your Dad would disagree until I take away his alcohol," Mum said, most likely from experience.

The Akimichi Clan had a large family, so the ginormous clan compound was believable. But what was outlandish was the rows of chefs and types of cuisines they had to offer at every corner of the house. Chefs lined up behind a glass wall of ocean life offering the best of the cuisine from the Land of Water. There were people roasting slabs of meat from black boars that only can only be found in the Hidden Grass. They even had artisans blowing up hard candy that is a native only to Kumo. _They seriously set it up like a festival, with the food stands and all..._

The Akimichi really went all out. We were all starstruck by the atmosphere until a voice called.

"Shikaku! You're finally here!"

A blond man approached us holding hands with a little girl. It was Inoichi-sama and his daughter.

"Daddy! I want to see them spin cotton candy" she cried, tugging her father's arm.

"We'll go there soon, Sugarplum, you got to introduce yourself to a few friends first." He pointed at Shika and I.

The girl withdrew her attention from the sugar wielding artisan and glanced over at us as if we weren't standing in front of her the entire time.

"My name is Yamanaka Ino" She smiled, "What're your names?"

"N-Nara Tsuno" I fumbled, I was still afraid of talking to people I wasn't familiar with, "It's nice to meet you."

"Nara Shikamaru" My brother yawned. "Where's Choji?" He looked at our father who pointed to his left.

Shikamaru excused himself, mumbling that being around one girl was troublesome enough. Mum didn't look too happy with him walking off. I glared at him for leaving me alone in this uncomfortable situation. However, Ino didn't mind. She barely even noticed that he left.

"Oh my gosh! You're so darn cute!" she squealed. "Tsuno right? You got to tell me what lip gloss your using! The color is absolutely stunning!"

"Uh. Well um-"

"Did you see all the boys that came today? Some of them are really fine." She fanned, " Like this one boy from the Uchi-"

"Ino! I thought we talked about this. You're too young to date!" The blonde man exclaimed. I still stood there dumbfounded and startled by her affableness. _Wait, we're talking about boys? Didn't we just introduce ourselves?_

She stuck out her tongue. "Daddy! You always say it's no harm to look around! Right, Nara-san?"

 _Uh oh._ I looked at Dad. His face went white, slowly making eye contact with Mum who was giving him a quizzical look. If Mum was mad about Shika leaving, she's fuming now.

"Wait till Noriko hears about this-"

"No! No! No!" Inoichi waved his arms in denial, "My daughter, Ino just … misheard a few things." He added hastily. Mum didn't look convinced.

"But! Dadd-"

"Now, Now, Sugarplum. Why don't run along with Tsuno, while I clear up some misunderstandings." He said quickly covering her mouth.

I glance at Dad who quietly urged me to run off with Ino.

"Uh. I-Ino! Let's go check out the cotton candy!" I said, pulling her away from the group by the wrist.

"I'll see you later, Daddy!" She cried. I quietly waved goodbye to Mum and Dad as Mum seeming waved back with a tight smile.

We haven't even gotten to the cotton candy stand before Ino started talking again.

"By the way, I was serious when I said that some of the boys here today are absolute cuties! Look! Look That's the one I was talking about!"

My eyes followed her finger until it landed on a pair of brothers by the dango stand. An older brother and a younger brother, the two quietly conversed until the older brother caught my gaze.

I meekly smiled as a greeting.

The dango stall was right across so I silently listen in to their conversation.

"Sasuke, It's rude to not introduce ourselves." The older one hushed.

The younger one turned his head towards us. "Why do we have to greet them, brother?" He questioned.

"They're important guests to the host, It would be impolite to not greet them."

Ino clutched my hand hard and squealed as the two walked closer.

"Ahh! They're coming this way, Tsuno! Quick! does my hair look okay?!"

"Um-"

"Good Morning" The older one began, "My name is Uchiha Itachi and this is my younger brother, Sasuke."

This younger boy grunted but gave us a polite nod, gauging us with an analytical eye.

"My name Yamanaka Ino! You guys can call me Ino!" She winked.

"Nara Tsuno," I said simply.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Yanmanka-san, Nara-san " Itachi smiled.

"Brother! They're roasting tomatoes with omelets! I'm going to grab some!" Sasuke said, completely ignoring that fact that he was interrupting.

"Sasuke, that's not polite-"

"Oooh! I love tomatoes too!" Ino yelled, grabbing the opportunity to get closer to the boy. "Let's go!"

Ino quickly pulled Sasuke away, who didn't look completely happy with his new companion.

 _Wish me luck,_ she mouthed to me.

I blinked and with that, I am left alone with the older Uchiha heir.

* * *

 **A/N:** Reviews are appreciated!

 **EDITED: 06/28/18**

 **A/N:** I wasn't completely happy so new details were added.


	3. Chapter 2: Academy Arc

I love meeting new people; I think everyone has a story to tell. We should all listen sometimes.

 _-Kim Smith_

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"You look stressed, What's wrong?"

"Why do you ask Nara-san?" Itachi replied.

We sat down by the dango stall each with a plate and tea, waiting for our respective companions to return. Itachi devoured each plate of dango so quickly as if he was a starving child. However, the elegance he portrayed while eating made me question the number of etiquette classes he had to take to reach such a degree of skill.

"You ... just seem tired?" I questioned. "Please address me as Tsuno."

 _It's so awkward..._

"Oh, please don't worry, Tsuno-san" Itachi politely smiled, "I am fine."

"Uh. Then would you like another plate of dango?" I asked, trying to make small talk.

"That would be very nice of you."

"Oh. Okay. No problem." I said blandly, "Um! Another order of hanami dango please!"

"Coming right up!"

When the order was placed on the counter, I debated whether I wanted to stand up to fetch the plate. The geta Mom forced me to wear had begun blistering my feet. The shoes were hard wooden and I can never understand how someone can get used to it. The rope that held the shoe together was already digging between my toes and walking just sounded like an unpleasant idea in general. Itachi seemed to notice my hesitance for standing up.

"Would you like me to get it"? he asked.

"No. It's fine. I got it." I bored.

I didn't want him to get the plate especially since I was the one who made the offer. Unconsciously, I attached two chakra strings from the counter to our table, forming parallel bars that connected the two objects. Then, with two more chakra strings, I pulled the plate down the parallel bars slowly and gently so the contents didn't spill.

"Here you go," I said holding the plate to out to Itachi, undoing the chakra strings in the process. I prayed that Ino would return sooner so she can save me from being so socially awkward.

"Um. Itachi?"

It's been a few moments and the Uchiha heir still didn't take the plate. Apparently, my action piqued his interest as he looked at me with newly found amusement.

"Ahh... Thank you" He said, taking the plate. "Aren't you a little young to be playing with chakra?"

I cocked my head, "How? I know most major clans start training their children to use chakra as soon as they reach the age of four. Doesn't the Uchiha Clan begin even earlier?"

"Most clans only begin by training basic self-defense and to integrate chakra into our muscles to boost our physical abilities. Rarely is it is to apply chakra externally."

"Oh," I answered dumbly. "I learned it so I can be a little lazier around the house."

"It doesn't matter what your motivation was." Itachi said finally giving me a genuine smile, "It's still amazing since the fluid use of chakra strings is generally native to Suna, due to their culture of kabuki puppet shows."

"Uh. Okay."

I decided that revealing the fact that Mom can attach chakra strings on any of her limbs and can easily manipulate it to swat a fly in her sleep was a bad idea. Even, if he was a Konoha shinobi, I felt as if I was giving too much information away.

"So …" I muttered, trying to change the topic. "I remember hearing that you're pretty amazing yourself. Didn't you recently become a Chunin? Aren't you like ten? Eleven?"

It wasn't a complete lie. Shika and I were playing in Dad's study when I accidentally saw his file. It just never occurred to me how young he was until he physically introduced himself.

"It's not all because of me," He humbled, "I … had a great team. So, are you thinking of becoming a shinobi?"

"I guess so," I replied uncertainty.

"Oh? Why so hesitant to join the academy? Your skills would be a great asset."

I stared at the tea leaves that floated aimlessly in my cup. It was a hard question. I always knew I would live my life as a ninja, but I was never excited to be one. I glanced over at Itachi. He was still waiting for an answer.

"I-I'm just not that eager on the idea of killing and bloodshed."

Itachi opened his mouth to reply but I cut him off.

"I know! It's inevitable, but I'm not big on the idea that someone's life will be taken away merely because someone ordered me to kill them. Of course, I will fight to protect loved ones and our village but it would be nice to believe that war is nonexistent."

My little rant left me breathless. I quickly backtracked to check if I said anything wrong.

"Uhhh… I mean-"

"So you're a pacifist?"

We were getting too philosophical for my liking, Uchiha Itachi isn't someone you casually bring up ethics with. "Well, I don't necessarily believe violence is wrong, it would be nice if we didn't have to resort to it though?"

"That would be nice."

Our conversation ended there, and I didn't attempt to strike another. Itachi and I merely sat next to each other in comfortable silence waiting.

A while later Shika appeared along with Choji, Ino, and Sasuke. Apparently, they all found each other by the omelet stand waiting on line. Choji was happily shoveling a spoonful of egg and bacon - and whatever else- down his throat as he made his way towards us. Shika raised an eyebrow questioning my choice of a companion, while Ino gleam at Sasuke with heart-shaped eyes. She had linked their arms with Sasuke who didn't seem to mind the skinship.

Sasuke quickly caught Itachi's gaze. Itachi smiled and politely bid me goodbye. "It looks like we will be parting ways now, Tsuno-san"

"Yes," I said, slowly stepping towards Shika, grimacing at the burning blister that rubbed my foot in every wrong way. Itachi, who knew I was uncomfortable lent me his hand. We made our way to the group and Itachi handed me off to Shika who utter a mere "thanks" while boring his eyes at my companion.

"It was nice meeting you, Tsuno-san" Itachi smiled.

"You too, Itachi-kun"

"Let's go, brother! Mother and Father are probably looking for us." Sasuke cried, pulling Itachi towards the opposite direction.

"Bye Sasuke!" Ino yelled, waving her hand at the raven head boy.

"Later." Sasuke gruffed.

When the two disappeared from our sights, I frowned. "How rude! Itachi was so much more polite!" Though I didn't necessarily care for social etiquette, I did appreciate it when people had them.

"Speaking of which…" Shika asked, "What were you doing with Uchiha Itachi?"

"Eating dango."

"That's it?" Shika pressed, unconvinced.

"Nara Tsuno!" exclaimed Ino, "I left you alone with a complete cutie for half an hour! Surely, you flirted with him even a little bit!"

"Flirted?" Shika twitched.

"Uh. Nothing happened."

"Relax, Shikamaru." Choji said finishing his plate of food, "Dad told me Itachi is really smart, Tsuno probably learned a thing or two from him."

"Psst." Ino whispered, not quiet enough, "If you don't feel like spilling all the details in front of your brother, we can talk later."

Shika choked completely scandalized.

"Nothing happened" I reassured.

The party ended smoothly. Choji was completely ecstatic about his new presents, even the set of sebon needles from the Uchiha. We all got our cheeks pinched by doting women and carried bags of leftover food home. As soon as I hit my futon, I welcomed sleep happily.

* * *

The days passed quietly with Mum being more and more fussy about our training each coming day. Morning exercises at dawn and evening runs. Shika and I can both agree that it was completely exhausting and troublesome. She has been also pressuring Dad to train us more, and begin teaching the family Shadow Arts. Dad calmly retorts that were only five and that our training in the family style wouldn't begin officially until we're a few years into the academy.

 _Oh, the academy. It's starting soon. Oh shit._

The Academy frequently appeared in my dreams, faces of classmates and teachers. But not the ninja academy, a different one. One where I carried a knapsack every day, where I rode large vehicles to class, where I missed breakfast to be on time. I can only conclude they were memories from a different a different life. Yet, that wouldn't explain why Konoha appeared too. Faces of people, names that I can't place, and events that I know but can't predict when. It was infuriating.

 _What's the connection?_

Shika got into a habit of holding me throughout the night. He patted my back and held me close during the bad dreams. Dreams where I end up shaking and grabbing the blanket. It was so bad at one point, Dad slammed the door open in the middle of the night alarmed. My chakra has been fluctuating, radiating off in waves of fear and suddenly disappearing.

 _Kyuubi. AngerMalevolentEvilCorruptVicious_

Mum once said that while she compares my brother's chakra signature like leaves dancing in the shadow, mine was like an enticing aroma rising from a cup of hot tea. Strong and captivating. When it disappeared she noticed it immediately as a sensor.

"No one is happy with water-down tea." She reminisced.

* * *

The Academy officially began the beginning of summer.

Shika and I were both were dragged out of bed to do our morning exercises with Mum. Took a bath and then sat down for breakfast. Dad was tasked to bring us to the opening ceremony before he went to work. It was hot and bright so I bought an umbrella.

Dad held hands with us and gently rubbed our hands in reassurance. "Scared?" he questioned. My grip on my umbrella tightened.

"No. Just annoying" Shika replied nonchalantly.

I had other thoughts in mind. "Dad…" I carefully worded, I've been meaning to ask for a while, better now than never. "Why am I different?"

"Hn?" If Dad had any reaction at all he did a damn good job to hide it.

"I was going to ask Mum but I didn't think she'll give me a truthful answer." My hand grasped his hand tightly, Shika took notice, Dad felt it too.

 _Hesitation._

"I don't look like you two. No Nara has lilac eyes. Both you, Mum, and Shika have sharp features and I do not. Sometimes…" I added, biting my lower lip, "When I say I'm a Nara, I can tell people are surprised, even if they try to hide it." I stared at the ground. I'm not sure If I wanted to hear his response. "... I'm worried that the kids at the academy will … Um.."

"Tease you?" Shika finished unfazed, "You're like any Nara in the compound, a little too motivated sometimes, but you're sure not an Inuzuka."

 _Huh?_

I did not expect him to speak up.

I transferred my gazed to Dad, he had a slight heartbroken smile. "You're a Nara. You don't need to question it."

"Okay."

* * *

The rest of the walk was quiet and uneventful, Dad mentioned that there were quite a few clan heirs in our class. And we will be highly surveilled for the first couple of days. This made me question whether the blonde prankster I've seen in my dream will really appear.

The ceremony was prosaic at best. The Hokage gave a speech welcoming the freshman. "May the Will of Fire burn within you." he finished with a puff on his pipe.

Next, Iruka-sensei introduced himself and escorted us to our classroom. Large lecture style room with glass windows, pretty mundane.

Shika and I made eye contact and telepathically agreed to sit in the back. We found our seats at the far end of the room. Choji soon joined us, happily waving his hand seeing that we saved him a seat.

I found it odd that Ino didn't accompany us, we got pretty close after Choji's party. Mum often brought me to her house for playdates when she dropped Shika off at the Akimichi Compound. Ino even went out of her way to pick the outfit I was wearing, and I quote: "I am not letting my best friend be the laughing stock of the class on the first day, just because she's too lazy to pick out a nice outfit!"

Ino was sitting next to Sasuke or at least _trying_ to sit next to him. Uchiha Sasuke was the hot gossip among the freshman girls before the ceremony started. The view from the back of the room was like ants gravitating a to honeypot.

"You don't like Sasuke, Tsu?" Choji asked, "You're like one the only girls that aren't flocking to him."

"I like you and Shika better." I laughed, accepting the chip Choji handed me with a smile.

Not long after, Iruka-sensei walked back into the classroom with a blonde boy behind him. _He looks… familiar._

"Naruto" he sounded exasperated, "You can't be late on the first day!"

The boy rubbed the back of his head, "S-Sorry Iruka-sensei, I was going to be on time, but my alarm clock didn't go off and then my milk was spoiled…" He mumbled, "But that's ok! Because it doesn't matter! Since I will be Hokage!"

The class looked at him aloof. Even I was surprised by his outburst. Then they burst out laughing.

"Hey! Whatcha all laughing 'bout!"

"Naruto, please just take a seat." Iruka-sensei sighed.

The classed jeered as Naruto found a seat in the row before us. I can clearly see that his eyes widen at the sight of a pink headed girl. And then frown when he saw the girl just throwing herself at Sasuke. _Love at first sight eh?_

Next, we did our self-introduction. Naruto got a few snickers when he re-announced himself as future Hokage, Shika even caught a smirk. My introduction went smoothly though I did get a few confused stares at my clan name. It was overall pretty good. Sasuke's introduction was the most applauded and I'm pretty sure I heard a few catcalls in the mix.

We spent the rest of the class issuing textbooks and taking a diagnostic exam. Shika gave me a wave and rolled over for a nap as soon as he got the paper. I was about the do the same when I witness sweat beads forming on Choji. I forgot, Choji has test anxiety.

I lazily flipped over my test paper and read through the questions. Basic algebra, science, and chakra theory. Nothing too difficult. I put my head down so Iruka-sensei couldn't see me and gave Choji a wink. Choji caught my gaze and nodded in relief.

I picked up my pencil and began writing. When I finished my exam I peeked at the clock to check the time.

 _Forty minutes left._

I put one hand behind me and grabbed a piece of paper from my knapsack. I kept my head down as if I fell asleep and watched Iruka-sensei who was walking around the room. I slipped the paper into my sleeve and slowly pulled it out to copy my answers. I couldn't think of any better method to cheat since I only knew how to utilize chakra strings. When I was done copying, I stuck the paper under our shared desk with chakra and slingshot it to Choji who had his hand open under the table.

 _Message delivered. Message received._

Thirty minutes left. Choji began to write furiously giving slight glances to the paper he stuck under his palm. Shikamaru woke up during the last fifteen minutes and finally flipped his exam over. He noticed the scheme I came up with to help Choji and didn't even bat an eye at it. With ten minutes left, Choji finished his exam.

I quickly pulled back the cheatsheet from Choji after he checked his answers.

 _Now to get rid of the evidence._

I was about to chuck the paper into my bag when I saw the blond mass in front of me basically dripping in sweat. I took a peek at his paper. He only finished about thirty percent of the exam. _Oh, what the heck._

I scribbled a note on the back of the paper and shot it into his pocket. Naruto who has slightly confused by the impact and took out the note.

 _Put your head down and don't make it obvious -T_

Once Naruto realized it was the answers, he quickly ducked his head and gave me the biggest smile ever.

 _Naruto, you idiot._

"Naruto keep your eyes on your own paper!" Iruka-sensei shouted.

"Y-Yes!" Naruto quickly turned his head forward and began to write. I looked at the clock. _Five minutes left._ Naruto scrambled to finish before the time ran out. I took one last peek at his paper before Iruka-sensei collected it. _80% complete? Not too bad._

Lunch came after. Iruka-sensei left the room and I quickly retracted the cheatsheet. I grabbed a napkin and covered the paper that I infused with chakra. I covered the small explosion with a quiet cough and shoved the evidence into my bag. Naruto watched me with wide glittering eyes.

"How did you do that" He awed, "Wait I still didn't thank you yet!"

Shika gave me a curious glance, " You helped him out too?"

I shrugged.

"Tsu-chan! Shikamaru! Choji! Let's eat together lunch together!" Ino called. We all got up to greet Ino. I gave Naruto a smile and walked off.

* * *

Ino brought us to a big gathering, I wasn't pleased. I dislike social situations. I see Sasuke, Shino, Hinata? I think? And an Inuzuka. I still wasn't completely sure about all their names yet.

"Yo!" The Inuzuka called out, "Ino, you're late!" A puppy popped out of his jacket and yipped.

"Shove it Kiba! I told you I have some friends to grab." She retorted.

We all sat down in a circle and took out our bento. I stuck my umbrella into the ground for some personal shade from the sun. Mum packed us onigiri with octopus sausages, which I loved. But compared to Choji's meal it looked like nothing. A triple-decker lunch with snacks.

Kiba made a few remarks about Choji's weight until he realized Choji had his entire body in the grasp of his oversized hand.

"I'm not fat, I'm just chubby!" Choji flared in anger.

We all learned to stay away from talking about Choji's weight that day.

I excused myself from the group to fill my canteen, "Want me to go with you?" Shika asked.

"Nah, I got it. I remember where the water fountain is." I said picking up my umbrella.

I walked back to the classroom where I found Naruto alone.

"T-Tsuno-chan!" he cried surprised, "You're back!"

"Hey, Naruto." I greeted, my eyes wandered, "Where's your lunch?"

"No biggie!" he shouted, "I'm going to be future Hokage, I can go without lunch!" On cue, his stomach grumbled. Naruto's face reddened with embarrassment. "Uh.."

"You can have my onigiri," I said, I didn't want him to go hungry. It wasn't morally right.

"R-Really? You'll do that? Won't you be hungry?" His eyes widened.

"No, you can have it. I ate already."

His face morphed to a frown, "Is there a catch?"

 _Huh?_ I widen my eyes in shock. "Catch?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

"You're being so nice to me. You helped me on the test today and offered me food." He peeved. "I just met you, why are you helping me?"

 _Uhhhh._ I didn't expect this. I always interpreted the blond boy as a happy-go-lucky child. He's more observant than I thought. I sighed, "You're my classmate, Naruto. And no one should go hungry." I pointed. "Plus" I smiled. "We can be friends."

"F-Friends?" He looked dumbstruck. "A-Are you sure?"

"Why so many questions?" I asked, walking over to the water fountain. I turned turn knob and water trickled out of the faucet. "Come on, Let's get to the yard before Akamaru steals my onigiri."

Naruto trailed behind me. I can tell he was nervous. I wasn't that great at sensing chakra but his sunlight aura began to dim the closer we got closer to the group.

Kiba took notice first. "Tsuno. I know you're a nice person but you can't always bring back strays no matter how desperate they look."

"Hey" Naruto shouted, his presence rebounding at full force at the remark. "Get over here, Dogbreath! I'm going to pummel you!"

"Let see you try!" And the two were at it.

"Na-Naruto-kun" Hinata worried.

"Loser." Sasuke huffed, shoving a cherry tomato into his mouth.

"Ha! Too afraid to fight me Teme!" Naruto jeered.

"Don't turn your back on your opponent." Kiba antagonized. "Akamaru let's show this idiot, who's the boss!"

"Arf!"

Sasuke slammed down his chopsticks indignantly and joined the fight. Naruto was not making a good case for himself. It was technically three against one.

I returned to my seat next to Shika and sipped my water. "Troublemaker." He uttered.

"Why?" I asked in denial.

"You started a fight without even saying a word."

"Not my fault."

I wrapped my onigiri and waited until Naruto walked back from his unsuccessful brawl. He was pretty disheveled. _That definitely hurts._

Kiba looked mildly bruised and scratched up nothing bad. And Sasuke merely dusts off his pants.

"Sasuke! You're so cool!" Ino radiated, immediately pouncing him.

Naruto gave me a cheeky grin and I handed him the onigiri. "Thanks, you're the best! Tsuno-chan!"

* * *

The class arrived at the training grounds after lunch, we were to demonstrate our basic shuriken skills and taijutsu.

Even in a class full of clan kids, we all sucked. Okay, some people did better than others. Sasuke had decent shuriken training and Hinata excelled in taijutsu. None of the civilian kids in our class stood out, which was predictable.

They "Ooo" and and "Ahh" at Sasuke when he struck the center of the wooden target decal simultaneously with three separate shurikens. Their jaw dropped at Hinata when she dented the wood of the practice dummy. Kiba wasn't bad too either at taijutsu, with Shino being not too far behind Sasuke with ninja tools.

Iruka-sensei scored us separately on a clipboard and began to pair us up with sparring partners. Sasuke pummelled Naruto for the second time of the day, with his fan club growing every minute.

Shikamaru dramatically walked away from his spar with Choji and was sneered by everyone for being such a wimp. Iruka-sensei couldn't even convince him and finally marked him for going out of bounds.

Choji felt so bad and Shikamaru told him not to apologize. I patted Choji's back in an effort to comfort him.

"Nara Tsuno and Kogure Ami" Iruka-sensei called.

 _My turn._

Shika mouthed me good luck and Ino cheered. "Crush her, Tsuno! No mercy!"

"GO TSUNO!" Naruto roared.

Even with all the encouragement, Ami's friends booed me as I walked into the ring. She had an impressive group of lackeys on her first day.

Walking closer I got a better look at Ami. She was tall with a muscular build for someone our age. Immediately, I concluded I wasn't going to beat her in terms of strength. I'm surely not the fastest with my tiny legs and I didn't exactly want a spar based on stamina. I liked to keep myself uninjured, thank you very much.

I held up my hand in front of my chest with two fingers pointed up and the rest folded. This was the proper etiquette during a spar. Ami did the same.

"Let's have a good spar," I said.

"You won't be so happy when I beat you in front of Sasuke." She announced.

I was a little taken aback, "What does Sasuke have to do with this?"

"Don't lie, I know you like him. I saw you guys eating lunch together." Ami sneered, "As the President of the Sasuke Fan Club! I cannot allow you to be any closer to him." _He has a fan club already?_

"I think we have some sort of misunderstanding-"

"Yea! Tsuno-chan never liked Teme!"

I looked around me. I never have before felt so many girls glower and mocked me at the same time. Hinata did her best to give me a reassuring smile.

 _Not good. Fucking shit. What do I do?_

I am damn right petrified with social conversation and confrontation. I found Sasuke in the crowd and gave him the dirtiest scowl I had.

 _This is your fault._

I swear I saw him sweatdropped.

"Tsuno! watch out!" Ino cried.

Ami had launched the first attack while I was distracted. Not a bad tactic in theory. But I was too annoyed and hypersensitive at this point. I felt the air around make way for her attack. She definitely infused some chakra too.

Like I said, I might not be the strongest, fastest, or have the most stamina, but I did have damn good reflexes. I sidestepped in an instant and palmed her punch. Pulling closer by her connected fist, I stepped forward, using my height to my advantage and punched her straight and hard at her trachea.

She choked at the impact and I already hear the appalled gasps around me. But I wasn't done. Her fist was still palmed in my hand and I took this moment to turn around with my back against her. I grabbed the collar of her shirt and used my entire body to flip her. Her body crashed onto the ground with a heavy thud. I wasn't sure if it was the throat jab or the judo flip that knocked her unconscious.

My heart was pounding from the adrenaline. And I stood there in complete silence, wheezing until I remembered I had a crowd. Iruka-sensei was the first to break the silence.

"W-Well done, Tsuno-chan." He motioned, still a little baffled. "But next time, try not too relentless on your opponent."

Two medics arrived and pulled Ami away in a stretcher. The entire class watched me walked back to Shika as Iruka-sensei announced the next pair. People evidently moved aside as I walked too close to them.

"That was quite a show." Shika exclaimed, "I guess Mum's training did have some effect."

"Hn," I answered, still hyper-aware from the rush of adrenaline. I sat down on the grass by Shika.

Naruto ran up to me in excitement. "That was AWESOME!" He cried, "I got really worried when you were just standing there."

"Thanks," I replied, not really sure if I was too happy about my win. "Look, Sakura and Ino are sparring."

Naruto ran off to cheer on Sakura. The match ended with Ino as the victor. Ami was sent home for the rest of the day and my classmates walked around me with new found respect. Whether it's from awe or fear; I don't know.

* * *

Class ended and we played ninja, waiting for Mum or Dad to pick us up. The first round of ninja went well. Ninja was a mixture of tag and hide-seek. Naruto almost cried when I asked him to join the game. We had a lot of fun. Soon after other kids started joining and no one had a reason to say no. The pool of players grew rapidly to the point there were team captains.

This was where the problem started.

See, with four or five kids running around, anyone on your team is an asset. But with ten or more players, people start to get choosy. Strongest players are picked first and weakest are last. No one wanted Choji on their team, or Naruto, or Shika.

The only reason people warmed up to me was due to the brutality I displayed during sparring. It didn't feel right being picked so early.

"We don't want you to play ninja with us." The biggest kid said bluntly.

"Why not?" Choji whimpered.

"The team you're on always loses." "You're too slow." Another added.

They can deal with Shika and Naruto who was lazy and goofy. But for Choji, the one who is hesitant, they don't want. Choji looked dejected.

I balled my fist. I was angry but self-doubt overweights my desire to confront them.

"If you do that, the numbers won't match." Shika reasoned. "Shogi is only fun when the right number pieces are in place."

"It's better not to have a worthless piece from the start."

The rest of the group seemed to agree and progressed the game. Choji looked at the group and walked away crestfallen.

Naruto was crossed. No one ever wanted to play ninja with him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to continue the game.

Shika and I stayed behind. Shika went after Choji and I gave him a nod of affirmation.

"Naruto... If you want to continue playing. That's okay." I reassured.

"B-But. But." He spluttered, "I really want to play but you guys are so nice to me. If you guys weren't here they wouldn't even talk to me."

I patted his shoulder. "Whatever you choose we won't hold it against you."

"Okay."

With that Naruto ran off to rejoin the game. I smiled and I understood that playing ninja with classmates was hard to come by for him.

 _It's because of the Kyuubi,_ my mind whispered.

I shuddered, I had no proof but my dreams have never been wrong. There has to be some sort of connection. I shook off the feeling and left to find Shika.

I found them on the roof by the water tower. Side by side on the bench eating chips and watching clouds. Choza Akimichi was there too. He looked at Shika with approval.

"Good evening, Akimichi-sama." I greeted with a bow.

"Good evening, Tsuno-chan."

"Tsuno!" yelled Choji, "You didn't go play ninja with them?!"

"I told you already" I smiled, "I like you and Shika better."

The three of us sat on the bench happily watching clouds until sunset. Choji left with his father when the sky began to orange.

"Shika, let's go back to the academy. Dad's probably waiting for us there."

"Hn."

We were on our way to the academy when we encountered Naruto again.

"What happened to you." Shika grimaced. Naruto wasn't a pretty sight. Black eyes. Torn jacket. Bloody nose. I urgently grabbed the handkerchief from my pocket to wipe the blood off his face.

"Thanks, Tsuno-chan." he brashed.

"Naruto, seriously. What happened." I demanded, caressing his cheek to inspect the cuts. His cheeks were dusted with a faint blush with the close proximity.

"Uh. So remember when I ran off to play ninja with them? The game wasn't the same after you guys left so they ended up trash talking about you guys and Choji. I got really mad so I beat them up!" He grinned.

"You mean, you got beaten up." Shika snorted, but I can tell his respect for Naruto went way up.

"Hold still." I was still pretty displeased about the whole ordeal. This was the third time today he got beaten up.

I made Naruto walk back to the academy with us so I can grab the first-aid kit from my knapsack. I bandaged him up the best I could and forced Shika to give him his jacket so I can take Naruto's back home for repair. It wasn't chilly today. Shika can deal with it.

Dad didn't react when he saw the three of us walking out of the academy.

I was still lecturing Naruto on the basics of first-aid, his jacket hung around my arm. I did not understand how did the boy live without getting a serious infection.

Shika had his hands in his pocket and looked completely normal with a mesh top and joggers.

Naruto wore the Nara emblem jacket. Konoha had cold mornings, I did not want him getting sick. Shika has plenty of other jackets and I'm sure Naruto doesn't with his orphan status.

Dad didn't ask us any questions when we waved Naruto goodbye.

"Dad! Let go of my hand!" Shika whined.

"What is there to be embarrassed about?" Dad chuckled.

Nonetheless, we all held hands all the way home, chattering about tonight's dinner.

* * *

During dinner, Shika asked the question I had in mind the entire day.

"Say, Dad, can I ask you something? ... Why does everyone avoid Naruto like he's the plague."

I distinctly saw Mum's eyes widen at the question and quickly looked at Dad.

"D-Did he do something wrong?" I added. "Or did his parents?"

Dad kept his face still, "What do you two think about the boy?"

"I've never thought much about that." Shika replied first, "It's not like I'm going to be best friends with him, but he's a stupid and funny guy ... I guess I like him."

Dad nodded, "What about you, Tsu?"

"He's a good person. Rough around the edges, but a good person."

"I see…" Dad smiled, "Then you two should do what you want to do."

Our conversation should have ended there, but I was too curious for my own good.

"Dad can I ask a question"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Is..there a connection between Naruto… and the Kyuubi…?

Mum and Dad froze. Shika and I instantly caught on.

 _Bad topic. Bad topic. Avoid._

Mum managed to muster a smile, "Sweetheart, Why do you ask?"

"Umm.." I fiddled with my fingers, "That's what the citizens of Konoha call him…." I whispered. "Nine-tails, Kyuubi, monster… things of that sort."

Dad gave me a weary smile. "When you get closer to, Naruto, maybe he'll tell you."

"Okay."

I left it at that. I didn't think probing answers from Mum or Dad would help.

* * *

 **A/N:** I made edits to the previous chapter! It would be lovely if you guys can check it out! Reviews are always appreciated.


	4. Chapter 3: Academy Arc

"At the center of your being

you have the answer;

you know who you are

and you know what you want."

 _\- Lao Tzu_

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

It's surprising to say but Ino went through a slight tomboyish phase in the Academy. As the days past, we quickly progress to standard Konoha taijutsu. Sparring matches between students were frequent and our eyes gleamed about the possibility of learning ninjutsu. Ino's favorite crop top was replaced with a baggy windbreaker and like everyone else, trained hard as a first-year student.

While many of the girls fawned over Sasuke during day classes, I can't say it was the same in kunoichi classes. The day was a destined to be the battlefield for love and the evening was the war for femme fatale poweress and dominance.

I find quite scary.

Girls that grovel by Sasuke by the day are pushing their bodies to the limits in the evening. It's not fair to call them useless or weak when they push themselves so much to get stronger.

Ino's convivial and bubbly nature gained her a position as a top girl in the Sasuke Fan Club. Ami who lost some of her influence after our sparring match still remained well respected. Though, Iruka-sensei didn't pair us up as sparring partners a for a long time afterward.

He did, however, often paired me with Hinata.

Don't get me wrong, Hinata is probably the nicest and quietest friend I have, but her punches hurt like a bitch. And this not incorporating her Jyuuken strikes.

The first time we spared, I cockily thought -just maybe- I can actually defeat Hinata.

Nope. Just no.

I was utterly obliterated. She couldn't use her Byakugan but hell, she still knew where my pressure points were. One jab to my shoulder, a knuckle to my sternum, and a blow to my forehead and I was down.

I manage to block a couple of strikes but it was no use. The match was over in minutes. Hinata skidded across the field apologizing immediately while my body laid face up on the dirt.

"Wow! Hinata! You're really strong!" I exclaimed.

Hinata flushed at my compliment, gently applying medical balm to my body.

My motivation for taijutsu skyrocketed after this defeat. Mum was practically glowing when I asked her to train me. Shika was about to strangle me. This ended up with us waking up two hours earlier than or usual alarm.

By the end of the semester, Hinata and I became great friends. We practiced taijutsu together three days a week after school before I attended my kunoichi classes. Hinata got apparently got a free pass. _Lucky her._

Kunoichi class wasn't too different from day class. It was taught by Sukui-sensei, a medic-nin. She was a volunteer from the Konoha Hospital. She was a kind sweet lady with curly hair and glasses. She deeply admired Tsunade-sama even though she left the village. We covered topics such as basic first aid, poison, espionage, psychology, and most importantly of all … sexual education.

I have an uncomfortable feeling that I sat through this humiliation once before. All the girls glowed red in embarrassment during this lesson.

 _I wonder if Hinata got 'The Talk' from her Dad._

The Academy taught sexual education at very young age. Our bodies were a double edge sword, it was a weapon and a responsibility.

Getting pregnant before we were ready was a very big concern, as well as the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. How to recover from sexual trauma was also a big topic.

I shuddered at the understanding that anything can happen in a real mission.

These kunoichi classes did not end when we reach Genin, it continues until we reach the rank of a Chunin. Though after we graduate from the Academy, it wasn't mandatory to attend anymore.

The first year of the Academy drilled us in taijutsu, theory and hand signs.

I practice taijutsu with Hinata and Mum, so that was no problem. I actually enjoyed learning about chakra theory since it was merely additional information from the books I read from home. As for memorizing hand signs, Shika and I developed a cat's cradle game that made it a little more interesting.

I ended the semester near the top of my class. It wasn't intentional for me to work hard but I thoroughly enjoyed what I was learning. Ino wasn't far behind me and Choji sat near the middle of the class. Unfortunately, Naruto stopped caring about studying after becoming good friends with Kiba.

The two often ditch class together. Shika and Choji joined them sometimes.

"Do you want to come with us?" Naruto once asked.

I patted his shoulder. "Sorry, Naruto. I only want Iruka-sensei to lecture once a day."

He pouted and jump the window with Kiba before Iruka-sensei arrived.

I can vaguely remember Iruka-sensei yelling at the two during lunch break.

Naruto and I still interact daily, but our interactions can be rendered down to greetings and sharing lunch. He often bragged about his elaborate pranks but never wanted to talk about the concepts we learned in class. Brawling was Sasuke was common too. Sasuke frequently joined our group for lunch if he didn't decide he was 'too cool' for us.

On the topic of Naruto. I never got to solve the mystery regarding his connection to the Kyuubi. _My gut told me I already knew._

" _When you get closer to, Naruto, maybe he'll tell you"_

Dad's voice lingered in my head. I was tempted to ask but Naruto it seemed like didn't know either.

Out of curiosity, I had asked Naruto if he had any relatives left, it was a less sensitive topic than asking about his parents. Naruto only answered with a helpless, "No."

We sat on the swings of a playground watching the sunset. Naruto dragged his feet on the gravel. Everyone left already, Shika went home with Choji while I stayed to patch Naruto up from his latest expenditures.

"But it's okay, Tsuno-chan." He declared, his voice shaking, "I have you, Ji-chan, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba… Teuchi-san at Ichiraku's, and uh..." He counted "… soon Sakura will like me, I will defeat Sasuke and become the Hokage!"

His bright yet shaky smile blinded me. How can he be so strong with so little?

"I believe in you"

Naruto's smile fared. He was the sun.

"SEE YOU TOMORROW, TSUNO-CHAN!" He yelled, with charka his radiating in pride

I was pretty sure his voice echoed throughout the entire village.

 _See you tomorrow, Naruto._

I got home moments before the last streams of light faded into darkness. The evening was chilly and I sniffled at the cold wind.

 _My muscle is cramping from the cold. Maybe I should take a day off from Mum's workouts._

Mum greeted me at the door, she was ecstatic when I showed her my progress report. She even made my favorite bamboo dumplings to celebrate.

Shika, on the other hand, got a lecture and ear twisting. He wasn't at the bottom of the class, but he was pretty close. Ranking -twenty-five out of twenty-seven- I can only assume it was Kiba and Naruto that was beneath him.

"Honesty," Mum huffed, "You and sister are basically inseparable! How are your grades so different!"

"Mum," I argued, "Don't be mad at him, Shika is really smart, he just doesn't like to try."

When Dad came home, Mum showed him our grades. Dad started laughing when he saw Shika's report. "Your grades are worse than mine!" he snickered, patting Shika on the head. "Good job."

"Like father, like son," Mum mumbled in annoyance. Mum ended up lecturing Dad to be more serious about parenting.

With Mum distracted, Shika and I snuck upstairs with our bamboo dumplings. I sneezed a couple of times and Shika asked if I was coming down with a something.

* * *

I went to bed early, not feeling well. I had a very painful migraine that night. It felt like my head was going to be split open. Shika stroke my hair in an effort to calm me down but it wasn't helping.

"Tsu. I'm going to get Mum." He whispered nervously. "You're going to be okay."

Shika left the room for Mum. Dad had to leave after dinner for a diplomatic affair so it was only Mum home at the moment.

I rolled around the futon clutching my skull. I pulled my hair as my head pounded in pain. My body was shaking. I didn't know if I was hyperventilating or going into shock.

 _My body is on fire._

My bones were rattling. They were shaking me with a hum that shock through my entire body. Shika's footsteps grew louder as he slammed our bedroom door open. His steps were quick and panicked.

"Mum! What's wrong with her?!" He cried, pulling her into the room.

Mum looked a little startled but quickly reacted, "Shikamaru, put some clothes on. We're going to the hospital-"

The sound of a horn cut her off followed by two flashes of light. Mum curse under her breath and glanced out the window warily. We all recognize that sound. It was one of the first signals we learned in the Academy.

 _Enemy Ninja. Alert._

Mom knew too. Even if she is off duty, she's an able-bodied Chunin and it's her job to scout the village. With an envoy staying, she couldn't afford to not go.

"Mum," Shika whispered.

Mum looked divided. "No. We need to get Tsuno to the hospital-"

Three more flashes of light.

 _All ninjas report to the Hokage Tower._

"Why now?" Mum cried distraughtly, "Tsuno needs-"

 _Mum, you need to go. Don't let me hamper you from your duty._

"M-Mum" I called softly, gently pulling her sleeve, "I-I'll be okay for t-thirty minutes."

"Thirty minutes?!" Mum stiffened, "Honey, I don't know if it'll only take thirty minutes?! I can be gone for hours-"

"Mum." I smiled mildly, "I'm going to be okay. It's probably just a bad cold." I grabbed her hand in an effort to convince her. "S-See. I'm not shaking as much. I'll be fine."

I gave her my most reassuring smile in an attempt to convince her. Mum and Dad can both get in trouble if she decides not to show up. Gossip about Mum abusing Dad's position would look bad on the Nara Clan.

 _Especially if there is a diplomat in the village._

I did not want to be a burden.

Shika held my hand tight. He wasn't going to leave me. Our eyes met. He understood the dilemma at hand. Mum hesitated.

"Thirty minutes." She decided. "I'll be back in thirty minutes, at most an hour. We're going to the hospital as soon as I'm back. Shika, keep an eye on Tsuno."

"Yes, ma'am." He affirmed, still grasping my hand.

With one last glance, Mum threw on her Chunin-vest and left. We keep our eyes gazed upon her figure until she completely disappeared into the night.

Shika stayed beside me, alarmed and silent. I breathed deeply in an attempt to calm my heartbeat.

 _Thirty minutes. J-Just thirty minutes. You're stronger than this._

Ten minutes later, I could control it anymore. I began convulsing. My muscles were tightening and it was as if my skin melted into my flesh. I no longer had power over my chakra.

"Tsu!"

"I-It hurts.." I squeezed. There was a fire in my hara, burning me alive. My chakra patterns were disrupted and irregular. Shika can most definitely sense the distress it had on my body.

"Tsu! You're not okay." He exclaims, holding his hand to my forehead. "You're burning up! We need to get you to the hospital!"

"N-No." I squabble, "They're enemy-nin out there. Y-You're going to be in danger." I could feel my voice staining. The slight movement sent a jolt of pain down my pain. I howled. My body felt more paralyzed after every minute.

"No, Tsu. We're going."

"S-Shika, we can't-"

Shika took my arms and threw me on to his back. I gagged a cry at the sudden movement.

"N-no, Shika…" I muttered wearily, "W-We can't-"

"Shh, focus on getting better. We're going to take a shortcut"

Shika closed the door and headed towards our yard. _The Nara forest._

"S-Shika, It's dangerous…."

"Troublesome woman. You talk too much."

Shika ran through the night in silence. The only noise around was the gentle buzz of the cicadas and my sporadic gasp for air. My body was scalding hot and my vision began to go spotty. No matter how many breaths of air I heaved, the fire within still continues to burn me alive.

"I'm sorry, Shika ..."

"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?"

He was tired. I can tell. He was pace slowed and drops of sweat hit my arm. I tighten my hold around him. Against his back, I can hear his heartbeat, quick but composed. He was my protector.

 _I don't want to be a burden._

A strange sensation emulated through the air. Its ambiance was disturbing, flooding my amnesic lungs. I shuddered.

It was chakra.

I didn't recognize it. They're not from Konoha. It's not our signature. It was suffocating me.

 _No. Please no._

"S-Shika…" I warned, "R-Run."

"Wha-"

"RUN!"

I pushed my body off of his as a kunai flew between us. My body crashed against a tree, knocking the air out of my lungs.

"TSUNO!" Shika screamed.

"R-Run." I choked. I couldn't get up. My body refused to move, "T-They're almost here. P-Please, Shika." I gasped, "Run."

"Who-"

A shrill voice sang. "Deep within the forest, lies a hidden treasure."

 _He's here._

"W-Who are you." Shika stammered into the dark. He balled his fist. Shaking.

The figured sunshine in front of us. The moonlight allowed a better view. Tall man. Slim. Camouflage uniform. His forehead protector…

 _Kumo… Cloud Ninja._

It clicked. I instinctively backed up. "Y-You're the envoy."

He was the Kumo diplomat. The one who was sent to make peace with Konoha. Why Dad had to leave after dinner.

"D-Doesn't Konoha now have an alliance with Kumo?" Shika formulated, "W-Why … are you attacking us."

He was afraid. We were defenseless. With no weapons, no combat experience.

 _Not even Genin._

He fixed his eyes on me. "You have pretty eyes, little girl."

 _My eyes?_

"No seal on you're head either. You're from the Main Branch aren't you?"

 _What?_

The man disappeared, suddenly he had me in a headlock. My hands automatically grabbed his arms to stop him. A shock of pain ran through my body.

"TSUNO!"

 _My bones … they're downing._

"The Hyuga Clan must be getting soft if they allowed a brat to be your bodyguard."

 _T-They think I'm a Hyuga … Why?_

 _Lilac eyes._ My mind whispered through the heat.

"S-Shika? R-Run, Please." I begged weakly.

 _I-I need air..._

My captor chortled madly as if our struggle was hilarious. "You know," He crackled. "My partner is probably dead for infiltrating your compound. But…" He continued, "It seems like we were the fools all along-"

 _I'm burning..._

"L-Let go of her!" Shika yelled, with a tree branch in his hand.

"R-Run."

My captor paid no mind to it, still holding me tight in a death lock "All along there was a gem in the forest … It looks like I'm not going to go back empty-handed after all." He smirked.

Shika attacked.

"Fool."

The branch clacked against the kunai, wood against metal. I can already see the kunai chipping into the wood.

"What?!"

It was as if time has stopped.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu complete."

The moonlight cast the shadows, and that was all he needed. I was stunned. I didn't know Shadow Possession. Dad hasn't started teaching us yet. Shika learned just by watching.

 _It looks like I wasn't the only one playing with my chakra…_

"I was hoping to keep this a secret a little longer." Shika sighed, reaching into his pocket.

My captor did the same. "A … Nara?!"

Shika bites his finger and wiped his blood on the panic-seal he pulled out. Dad, gave it to us when we started the Academy. The seal glowed and shot into the sky. _Like a firework._

"You're finished." Shika stated, "Konoha ninja were already on high alert before we left. They'll be here in a matter of minutes."

"Heh. As if I would allow myself to be defeated by a bunch of children."

"Wha-"

A hand grabbed Shika's ankled and pulled him underground. He was trapped, only his head struck above. There was a poof beside me. _A shadow clone._

Right away, a blunt forced hit the back of my head, popping my jaw in the process. My face hit the dirt leaving the taste of iron on my tongue. "S-Shika…"

 _Why am I so weak?_

My body shooked.

"I can't have you running away." My captor chuckled.

 _Why am I a burden?_

My bones rattled.

"Now, what to do with the boy." He pulled out a tanto, "I know!"

 _Shika is in danger._

My hand reached for him. I couldn't move. My arm ached in pain. I can't make it.

"An execution."

Chakra filled the air. Thick. Potent.

"Good night, little Nara."

He swung.

 _No._

 _No._

 ** _NO._**

"SHIKA!"

My body ignited. It was as if I've been ripped open. Fresh air covered my exposed skin. My chakra roared.

 _Silence._

My spine cracked in relief. I was no longer burning. Cold air hit my open back.

"Y-You ... Y-You're … not a … H-Hyuga…" Blood spilled from the Kumo-nin's mouth.

"T-Tsuno." Shika stared with wide eyes.

A bone stuck out from my palm. Bones did from my back. My chest. My skull.

I knew it was mine because I can feel my body making changes to accommodate the missing cartilage. The spear from my palm extended all the way until it passed through the Kumo-nin's heart.

The tanto fell from his grip. A clank can be heard as it struck the ground.

"S-Shika … I need to protect Shika…"

My eyes blurred. Heavy. Chakra deprived.

A voice echoed in the midst of everything.

"Shikotsumyaku."

 _I-I recognize that chakra signature. An ally._

An Anbu appeared from the shadows.

"P-Please... Please save Shika." I mumbled. I didn't think I could stay awake any longer. "Please."

"Leave this to me, Tsuno-san."

I blacked out.

* * *

 **A/N:** It took a bit but Tsuno is growing. Hopefully, I can update soon! Reviews are appreciated! Critics are welcomed too!


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